'Game of Thrones' Season 3, meet 10 new characters [Pictures]

CaptionJoining the 'Game'

HBO

Valar Morghulis! OK, "Game of Thrones" fans, the epic, ultra-violent fantasy series is back for a third season at 9 p.m. Sunday, March 31 on HBO. (And, yes, book readers, this season will include much content from "A Storm of Swords," which, as best as I can tell, is pretty much everyone's...

Valar Morghulis! OK, "Game of Thrones" fans, the epic, ultra-violent fantasy series is back for a third season at 9 p.m. Sunday, March 31 on HBO. (And, yes, book readers, this season will include much content from "A Storm of Swords," which, as best as I can tell, is pretty much everyone's... (HBO)

As if Westeros didn't have enough power-hungry kings, we can add one more to the mix. With a massive horde of wildlings, giants and mammoths at his command, Mance Rayder (Ciaran Hinds) boasts the biggest army on the continent. The problem? They're as undisciplined as they are ugly. A defected...

As if Westeros didn't have enough power-hungry kings, we can add one more to the mix. With a massive horde of wildlings, giants and mammoths at his command, Mance Rayder (Ciaran Hinds) boasts the biggest army on the continent. The problem? They're as undisciplined as they are ugly. A defected... (HBO)

Watch out, Maggie Smith. Lady Olenna Redwyne (Diana Rigg), grandmother of queen-to-be Margaery Tyrell, is every bit as sharp-tongued as the Countess of Grantham. But where Violet Crawley is kind-hearted, deep-down, this barb-thrower is a schemer.

Watch out, Maggie Smith. Lady Olenna Redwyne (Diana Rigg), grandmother of queen-to-be Margaery Tyrell, is every bit as sharp-tongued as the Countess of Grantham. But where Violet Crawley is kind-hearted, deep-down, this barb-thrower is a schemer. (HBO)

Frankly, the Reeds should have been introduced in the second season, as they were integral to the Stark children's escape from Winterfell in the books, but whatever. The children of Ned Stark's best friend, the Reeds live way off the grid in what is essentially a swamp. Derided as "frogeaters,"...

Frankly, the Reeds should have been introduced in the second season, as they were integral to the Stark children's escape from Winterfell in the books, but whatever. The children of Ned Stark's best friend, the Reeds live way off the grid in what is essentially a swamp. Derided as "frogeaters,"... (HBO)

Remember in Season 1 when Ned Stark ordered a knight to go capture The Mountain, because he was out raping and pillaging? We haven't heard from him since, but the Lightning Lord is back in Season 3, and he's a little, um, more magical. Long after Stark's beheading, Dondarrion (David Michael...

Remember in Season 1 when Ned Stark ordered a knight to go capture The Mountain, because he was out raping and pillaging? We haven't heard from him since, but the Lightning Lord is back in Season 3, and he's a little, um, more magical. Long after Stark's beheading, Dondarrion (David Michael... (HBO)

Learn about them now, so when you meet them for the first time, you won't have to spend half the episode researching on westeros.org. MORE: Game of Thrones' best deaths | What the actors really look like